Why cant Americans pronounce 'aluminium' correctly?

Question

You have to pronounce it "Aloominum"
Like what the?

Answer 1

ha i see the second "i" is silent ... you know like p is silent in bath!

Answer 2

Pronounce Aluminum

Answer 3

May I suggest not using the dictionary to determine what word is correct and what word is not correct. Both pronunciations are acceptable, but there are historical reasons for the different ways we pronounce "alumium," the original word for the metal. The metal's name comes from the word "alum." When Sir Humphrey Davy named this metal in the early nineteenth century, he used the root "alum" to name it "alumium." He quickly modified the name to be "aluminum," which spread throughout the scientific world. Both British and American naturalists used the word aluminum until British editors changed the word to "aluminium," but this word did not spread to the rest of the world in the way "aluminum" had already done. Americans simply use the older word coined by Sir Humphrey Davy. The British use an updated word edited to conform to a latinized periodic table.

Hopefully this clears up this little bit of British history for you!

Answer 4

Had this Q before and they said it is spelled aluminum over there. Apparently an American actually discovered it and we put an extra I in it for no reason at all. It may be total bollox tho, so don't quote me.

Edit, no a Danish person apparently discovered it and I found this
British political-literary journal, objected to aluminum and proposed the name aluminium, "for so we shall take the liberty of writing the word, in preference to aluminum, which has a less classical sound.

I'm sorry but I think we were being a bit silly there deciding the name was a bit common.
Look at me taking this too seriously! sorry!

Answer 5

Because in America it is Aluminum there is no second i.

also please do not compare all of the us to our disgraceful leader

from wikipedia-

Americans adopted -ium for most of the 19th century, with aluminium appearing in Webster's Dictionary of 1828. In 1892, however, Charles Martin Hall used the -um spelling in an advertising handbill for his new electrolytic method of producing the metal, despite his constant use of the -ium spelling in all the patents he filed between 1886 and 1903[18]. It has consequently been suggested that the spelling on the flier was a simple spelling mistake. [citation needed] Hall's domination of production of the metal ensured that the spelling aluminum became the standard in North America; the Webster Unabridged Dictionary of 1913, though, continued to use the -ium version.
In 1926, the American Chemical Society officially decided to use aluminum in its publications; American dictionaries typically label the spelling aluminium as a British variant.

Answer 6

Many years ago, when I lived in France, one of my friends jokingly said that English was mostly just 'French pronounced wrong'. If you know much French, I'm sure you get it. In short, I don't think anyone should have to apologize for the variety of language they use. Peace.

Answer 7

Ha-ha. You chaps just amuse the dickens out me. I love hearing someone saying aloomineeum or luh-Bore-uh-tory, ROTFL. The differences are just too many to go into.

Get over it - minor differences in spelling and pronunciation. I think it's mildly amusing from both directions.

Wait, you call "zits" "bollocks"? Where in the heck do you get that from? And what does "fanny" mean in UK that it doesn't mean here? I'm half afraid to ask...naughty, naughty Brits.

Arrgh, I'm so confused!

Alright, at least you know the right temperature at which to serve (real) beer, ale, stout, etc. as opposed to that rice- and corn-based dreck so common over here.

PS - carantanum - I never heard anyone over here say "ceeclic" for cyclic. And how do you pronounce "vahdka tahnic"? Are you just saying they tend to make those sort of sounds kind of broad in Bahston? I'm curious, is your pronunciation that different?

Fun question - thanks to all for the varied responses.

Answer 8

It's a little bit odd, but I think they spell it without the second 'i'. But I find the American pronunciation of caramel even odder. Not wrong - after all, they're not speaking UK English, but odd. Oh, and why do they pronounce herb without the H?

Answer 9

Why is that other countries seem to think that they are the one's who are always correct? Why is that other countries seem to "hate" Americans for not being like them?

Do other countries not believe in individuality?

Why can't you just pronounce things your way so that I can laugh at you?

Why can't you just laugh at the way I, as an American, pronounce things, and call it a day?

Let be! Be Loved! And spread your Love!

Peace Love and Good Vibes!

Answer 10

You use the long spelling and we use the short "aluminum." The Webster's New World Dictionary has two pronunciations.

Answer 11

You seem as if you are 12? Are you?

You might have noticed that we are a completely different and separate country. Many countries pronounce words differently, some have even come up with new words that mean the same thing. They call these new words "languages".

We don't fault you on your "incorrect" pronunciation of many words, as we have excellent manners here in America. We understand that some people come from different countries and have accents that are different from our own. We are fine with this. Perhaps you should retreat from the world and not come into contact with anyone slightly different from yourself. Or maybe you can colonise some countries and force them under pain of death to adopt your language (oops, forgot England already did that, forget that idea)